Panther Players to perform 'Legally Blonde'

Wednesday

Mar 6, 2013 at 12:02 PM

The Ledford High School Panther Players can become pretty profound sometimes.

BY NASH DUNNThe Dispatch

The Ledford High School Panther Players can become pretty profound sometimes.Sure, they're high school students, who say high school things and embrace normal high school lifestyles, but don't let their age be an indicator of their professionalism.They study. They prepare. And they don't take for granted even the most outlandish scenes or musical numbers — say, for instance, 15 or so teenage girls belting out lyrics like "Oh, my God! Oh my God, you guys!" on stage. The Panther Players will perform their latest production, "Legally Blonde: The Musical," at 7 p.m. March 15, 2 and 7 p.m. March 16 and 2 p.m. March 17 at the T. Austin Finch Auditorium in Thomasville. Tickets cost $10, and there is a silent auction scheduled for each show. The musical, first performed on Broadway in 2007, is based on the 2001 film that revolves around Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard University in an attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend. Elizabeth Stroup, a sophomore at Ledford who is playing the role of Elle, said she's done a lot of research, watching videos of the Broadway production on Google and YouTube."I love the singing aspects of it," said Stroup, who is participating in her first production with the Players. "It's really made me express my range and get out of my shell."The Panther Players began rehearsing for "Legally Blonde: The Musical" in early February after finishing their production of "The Death and Life of Larry Benson."While director Bob Dye said the Panther Players' production packs in a lot of fun — certainly much more than the seriously-toned "Larry Benson" — it also brings with it a lot of work.Dye, who said the show's budget rests at about $12,000, said there are a lot of larger sets that have to be constantly moved and manipulated on stage. He said the stage at Finch Auditorium is a lot bigger; however, there is no fly space, meaning most of the sets have to be placed on rollers. Dye said the show is also difficult for the Players."Because of the nature of the show, a lot of the kids are playing multiple parts," Dye said. Daniel Cavenaugh, a junior at Ledford, is playing the role of Emmett, a law student who takes Elle under his wing while at Harvard.Cavenaugh said he's drawing a lot off of his own experiences to portray his role effectively. "He strived to prove everyone wrong and prove that he could be good at what he does," Cavenaugh said.While Cavenaugh said the cast and crew are "pulling the show together" in preparation for their premiere, he believes the Players are always learning from one another."Even on opening night, you're constantly growing," Cavenaugh said. Michael McKinney, who is playing Elle's ex-boyfriend, Warner, throughout most of the musical, said this will be his largest role to date. "It's different, but at the same time, I played multiple roles in the past, and it's about the same stage time," McKinney said. "I love to sing and love to act. I always do musicals because of my love to sing." Other cast members, not listed above, are: Vivian, Miranda Penley; Paullett, Sydney Bryant; Pilar, Makenzie Nicholls; Margot, Blaire Hayworth; Enid, Stephanie Covarrubias; Serena, Shannon Carman; Store Manager/Judge, Ryan Smith; Store Helper/Greek Chorus, Sami Pierce and Megan Snyder; Greek Chorus/Harvard Student, Faith Littlejohn and Carson Burleson; Greek Chorus, Andera Francis and Jessica VonCannon; Hair Helper, Bridget Lucas; Hair Customer/Greek Chorus, Katie Reynolds; Kate/Harvard Student, Felicia Ray; Whitney/Greek Chorus, Sarah Laster; Chuttney/Greek Chorus, Haley Motsinger; Brooke/Greek Chorus, Leah Webster; Warner, Michael McKinney; Emmet, Daniel Cavenaugh; Grandmaster Chad/Nikos, Kevin Ortiz; Winthrop/Dad, Jacob Luck; Pfroz/Kyle/Police Officer, Jackson Pace; Lowell/Aaron, Seth Gibbons; Carlos, Christian Graham; Callahan, Andrew Duggins; Harvard Students, Jacob Luck, Thomas Le, Christian Graham, Clay Thompson; Padamadan, Thomas Le; Frat Boys, Clay Thompson, Jackson Pace, Jarred Carroll; assistant director, Caitlin Meinecke; stage managers, Thomas Ramos and Theron Hicks.Production assistants include McKinney and Devin Gray. Caroline Golrick is the director of music, and Kelly Greathouse is the director of choreography. Nash Dunn can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 227, or at nash.dunn@the-dispatch.com.